"Good Heavens"
Posted: August 8th, 2009, 3:42 am
HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #132e, Written 08AUG09
The Disciples’ Prayer—Part Five: “Good Heavens”
by rev dave c
Mt 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one' (NIV).
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God (Jn 1:12&13; NIV). ...those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children (Ro 8:14-16; NIV). In Part Two of this series we discussed how not only did Jesus refer to God as “Abba, Father”, but that we, who have become children of God, are encouraged to do likewise. With 2,000 years of common use, we are quite numb to the importance and impact of this privilege. It behooves us to remember just how truly remarkable it is that the Almighty invites us to refer to Him not only as “Our Father” (our divine progenitor), but that we are also brought into the warmth of His affection as “Our Abba”. This does not, however, invite casual to presumptuous over-familiarity with the person and presence of God. While “Abba” is an Aramaic term of endearment, it does not accurately translate into English as “Daddy”. The vernacular use of “daddy” does not express the pronounced sense of awe and respect that is contained within the denotation and connotation of “Abba”. This is part of the significance in the phrase, “Our Father in heaven...”.
"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me (Jn 15:26; NIV). Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him" (Jn 14:6&7; NIV). As outlined in Parts Three and Four, when we personally encounter the reality of the Judeo-Christian God, we are brought to a point of crucial decision. The Holy Spirit draws the unsaved (unregenerate/not born again) to the Person of Jesus Christ, Who, in turn, brings the truly repentant to the Father. Because we have a measure of free will, an individual may make one trip through “the Valley of Decision” (Joel 3:14), or he/she may camp there for an extended period, or there may be repeated visits before that person becomes willing to submit to the truth of the Gospel and to commit to the Word of God—or, sorrowfully, dies unrepentant with the eternal consequences of sin.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (1Pe 1:3-5; NIV). Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Ro 8:17; NIV). As believers, we have the assurance of Scripture that this life is but a moment of time through which we pass as a birthing process into the glory of the next. First Peter tells us that our inheritance is being kept for us in heaven, which raises the questions of what and where is heaven?
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. And I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows--was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell (2Co 12:2-4; NIV). Because the Apostle Paul tells us that he “was caught up to the third heaven”, we know that there are at least three levels, or meanings, or places that are described as “heaven”. As is commonly taught, there is the first heaven (or, “heavens”) as referenced in Matthew 5:18 that alludes to our earthly sky. Then there is the second heaven that is our universe, the place of the stars and planets. Finally, there is the third heaven—the place (for lack of a better term) where God resides with Jesus currently at His right hand.
Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left (1Ki 22:19; NIV). Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mk 13:31-32; NIV). God is not alone in this third heaven, the place where Paul was taken (whether in the body or out of the body). God is surrounded by His angels—and a place is being right now prepared there for all who call on the name of the Lord and who accept His proffered forgiveness and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (M5 6:19-21; NIV). Amen.
The Disciples’ Prayer—Part Five: “Good Heavens”
by rev dave c
Mt 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one' (NIV).
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God (Jn 1:12&13; NIV). ...those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children (Ro 8:14-16; NIV). In Part Two of this series we discussed how not only did Jesus refer to God as “Abba, Father”, but that we, who have become children of God, are encouraged to do likewise. With 2,000 years of common use, we are quite numb to the importance and impact of this privilege. It behooves us to remember just how truly remarkable it is that the Almighty invites us to refer to Him not only as “Our Father” (our divine progenitor), but that we are also brought into the warmth of His affection as “Our Abba”. This does not, however, invite casual to presumptuous over-familiarity with the person and presence of God. While “Abba” is an Aramaic term of endearment, it does not accurately translate into English as “Daddy”. The vernacular use of “daddy” does not express the pronounced sense of awe and respect that is contained within the denotation and connotation of “Abba”. This is part of the significance in the phrase, “Our Father in heaven...”.
"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me (Jn 15:26; NIV). Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him" (Jn 14:6&7; NIV). As outlined in Parts Three and Four, when we personally encounter the reality of the Judeo-Christian God, we are brought to a point of crucial decision. The Holy Spirit draws the unsaved (unregenerate/not born again) to the Person of Jesus Christ, Who, in turn, brings the truly repentant to the Father. Because we have a measure of free will, an individual may make one trip through “the Valley of Decision” (Joel 3:14), or he/she may camp there for an extended period, or there may be repeated visits before that person becomes willing to submit to the truth of the Gospel and to commit to the Word of God—or, sorrowfully, dies unrepentant with the eternal consequences of sin.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (1Pe 1:3-5; NIV). Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Ro 8:17; NIV). As believers, we have the assurance of Scripture that this life is but a moment of time through which we pass as a birthing process into the glory of the next. First Peter tells us that our inheritance is being kept for us in heaven, which raises the questions of what and where is heaven?
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. And I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows--was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell (2Co 12:2-4; NIV). Because the Apostle Paul tells us that he “was caught up to the third heaven”, we know that there are at least three levels, or meanings, or places that are described as “heaven”. As is commonly taught, there is the first heaven (or, “heavens”) as referenced in Matthew 5:18 that alludes to our earthly sky. Then there is the second heaven that is our universe, the place of the stars and planets. Finally, there is the third heaven—the place (for lack of a better term) where God resides with Jesus currently at His right hand.
Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left (1Ki 22:19; NIV). Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mk 13:31-32; NIV). God is not alone in this third heaven, the place where Paul was taken (whether in the body or out of the body). God is surrounded by His angels—and a place is being right now prepared there for all who call on the name of the Lord and who accept His proffered forgiveness and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (M5 6:19-21; NIV). Amen.